(4769) Castalia

The Astéroïde 4769 Castalia (known previously under the designation of 1989 PB ) is the first Astéroïde which one had an image radar. He was discovered by Eleanor F. Helin the August 9th 1989 on photographic plates taken with the Observatoire of the Mount Palomar. This asteroid geocroisor, areocroisor and cytherocroisor owes his name with a nymph of the Greek Mythologie, Castalia.

General information

The orbit of Castalia brought it to less than 11 times the distance the Ground-Moon of the Earth, which enabled him to be scannée by Scott Hudson (Université of the State of Washington) and Steven J. Ostro (JPL) with the observatory of Arecibo. The data obtained made it possible to the astronomers to design a three-dimensional model of the asteroid.

Castalia is in the peanut shape, with two parts 800 meters in diameter which hold together by their mutual gravity. Later, radar measurements of other asteroids showed that this binary arrangement “of contact” was common.

See too

List of the asteroids

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